Gymnastic apparatus for mobilizing stiff joints



Oct. 30, 1945- s. R. ZANDER GYMNASTIC APPARATUS FOR MOBILIZING SIIFE JOINTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1943 motion of the damaged joint in Patented Qct. 30, 1945 11*Pa ana...

., This invention reiersto'a mechanical apparatus tor mobilizing joints with reduced mobility, by stretching the scft parts r the .joint such as muscles, capsules. and ligaments. Often the ill or damaged jointhas no own force of afiecting movements, and for thisreason it is necessary to m external forces foraperforming-the stretching J .l 1 "Ihechietpurposeqof this invention is to construct an apparatus ;-for;such stretching purposes operat edfby themovements of any other jointlof the patintslimb's, for instance, an undamaged Joint near the damaged joint. l l 1 1 Another purpose of this invention is to construct an apparatus for stretching and moving the stiff joints by means of. arotary or oscillatory mess moved by the movements of the patient himself. a

"Another purpose of this invention is to construct the. apparatus insuch manner that the movement imparted to the damaged joint is limited to certain angles to which the apparatus may set either manually or automatically. This rendersfitfpossible for the patient to keep the within the limits of pain of the joint.

Another purpose of this invention'is to con struct the apparatus in such manner that the patient can. alter the setting of the apparatus to other, angles, thus rendering it possible for him to successively stretch. and mobilize the joint without more pain than he can easily stand. Other purposes of this invention will be evident from the following specification and the claims. I One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings. i

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a gymnastic apparatus inaccordance with this invention. u 1 Fi 2 shows a top view of the same with some parts broken away. Fig. 2 may be said-to be a section on the broken line 11-11 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a detail view of the screw mechanism, on alarger scale. u i

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a top view of the uppermost bar or rod of the parallelogram mechanism, one

larger scale. I Fi s. 6 and '7 are diagrammatic views illustrating the principal motions of the apparatus.

Fig. 8 shows a section on the line V1II-VIII in Fig. 1, on a larger scale. Fig. 9 shows a section on the Fig. 8. i i l 7 -.Referring now to the drawings, l indicates a line Ix-Ix in the apparatus f Application December 21, 1943; Serial No. In Swedcn October 3, 1942.-

c-ciai s. (cr z e -57) S P TENT F 1 stationar frame having a double seat 2, on which the patient sits when using the apparatus. "To

this frame brackets 4 are secured, carrying coaxial journals 3, on which' a lever' 5 'isro'ckably journalled. .Another bar 6 extends substantially horizontally. i 1 "on the lever 5a shoe or sleeve 8 is slidably arranged which carries a pin 1, by means or which a connecting rod 9 is articulately'connected with the'leveri. The rod 9 ac'tson a crank I I ll driving the: fly-wheel l0. A screw ll with a handle serves to clamp the sleeve -8 in any desired position along the lever 5.- By setting the 'sleeve'8 to different positions on the lever 15 it is possible to adjust the angle; through which this lever is rocked, when the fly-wheel l0 rotates. The lever 5 is integral withior rigidlywonnected with) a sleeve l2, which is rockably journalled on the journals 3. Through said sleevethe bar 6 passes and a clamping screw l3 in. the sleeve 12 serves to clamp the bar 6 rigidly in the position set in relation to the" sleeve 12 and {con sequently also to the lever 5. The bar 6 also carries a" heavy mass or pendulum weight M to'be clamped by means of the screw IS in the desired position on said bar." This weight serves to eeum right anglesto the bar 6.

A bar l6 carries a double footest H which may be clamped in any desired positionon the bar 16 I by means of a clamping screw l 8. To this bar also a calf-support I9 is detachably attached which may be set in the desired position' b y means of a clamping screw I90. The bar I Bis integral with or rigidly secured to a circular disc 20 which is' rotatably journalled on the pin "or b'olt 2 I. i This pin also articulately connects the bar 6 with abar 22, which extends more or less vertically and isyoke shaped, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. Atfits upper end this bar 22 carriesa pin orbolt 23 connecting the same with a bar her;- tendi ng more or less horizontally. On one leg of the double bar 22 'a sleeve 2 5 is 'slidabl which may be clamped in its position as set by means or a clamping screw 26. In this sleeve a, screw ,orworm 21 is --rotatably but not displaceablyjournalled, and the threads of this screw mesh with corresponding worm wheel threads .18 on the periphery. of the disc 20. Thus, when-the screw 2l-is rotated by turning the wheel .25. on its shaft, the disc 20 and consequently also the bar l6 are rotated correspondingly, thatis; the

of the combined bar 24, "3|; inaybefad ji sted,"

Jrranently; and

bar "5 is set to different angular positions in relation to a vertical line (reckoning in the position of rest of said bar). The periphery of the disc 20 carries one or more graduated scales operating with a fixed index or the like on the sleeve 25. Thus, it is possible directly to read the angle to which the disc has been set in relation to averticallinec v A bar @Oj eztends' along the bar 2}! and; each of those two bars encross the other by means of sleeves 3|, 32 having clamping screws 33, 31h:- Thus, the sleeve 3| may be permanently secured to (integral with) the bar seem-be temporarily; clamped to the bar 24, while the bar 24 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 32. By adjustingthosetwo sleeves 3,|, 32 in relation to each othenthe length within the limits concerned. The bar-311" is'jour' nalled on a journal 352 in a sleeve 35|,- whiclr;is: p3 displaceable along a bar 35 and may be clamped 20 to; by means or unscrew 3h The bar 35: is perri'gid-ly; fixed: one-the: machine fmamerh. v.

- motile bar a. thig l'r holder s1 is detaichabiy secured; which: maybe set todifierent positions by means of a clamping screw 38. holder is 'er rged-andtis adapted: to engage thepatients thigh items. above; 7 The-apparatus; described is used: @SifiOBOWfiZ. Thepatient sets ,omthe seat; 2 to theiisiglit or tflytshef left ottheiban system. in ,sucli that thedamaged leg; is next. to tlntt; bar systerrn. He places the fiootoii his dam'agednleg orrthe foot support H and may" fix it thereby means at a strap; 39 or the like ifi desirecll The-patients calf then rests onthersupport 9- engaging'the .calt from behind, while his'thi'ghlis' eng ed-z trom .aboveby holder 31:. Supposing that. the: pa;- htimrtisi knee is! damagedand more or less stifl the. patientv mow turns the wheel; 29: until; he feels a certain: (still: tolerable) pain im the damaged joint By of: the: undamaged muscles inhis leg he: now moves; the: bar system 22; 2-4:, v311, i on and:- downthrough an; angle" To: that bar system the bar 5- is connected, as said bar is clamped toxthe ban 6; The rocking. motion of the parallelogram 2-2, 24-; 6, is also imparted to the bar 5 (while the bar is stationary). The melting; motion of the ban 5 drives the: fly-wheel l0 via the crank mechanism: 1, 8-,; 9 andthe: angle .ot the rocking motion is determined by the'posithin, to which; the sleeve it has been set: on the bar 5; These-muons are illustrated Figs; 6 amh'l; I r t 'The otth'e angle through which the dam:- raged lcneej'oint is: moved (stretched) is determinectby the: setting oi. the: sleeve: 8 cm the bar 5. As the stretchingof thev knee joint proceeds the patienttu-rns the wheel'29 and consequentlyrocks the disc 20 throughthe. desired: angle. successively; The number of degrees may be read on thetscale on said disc and is annotated, 'llhus, it is pos: siblefor the patient or for; thephysiciarnto con.- trol' the stretching and. to conduct it in accord; ,ance witha fixed scheme. When it is. desired tomove the disc 2!! through ahgreat angle, to set the" bar I'fif rapidly,v it is possible to loosen the sqn'ew 26iand draw the sleeve 2 5 and; the screw 2'! out of engagement the threads 28 on the disc 20. Then the threads 21, 23 are; brought into mesh again and the angle "may beexactly set" by means of the wheel 23?.

*A sisevident from Figs. 6- and '7', theknee joint isgsomewh ere the neighbourhood of the shatt it, while,- the hipjointis: in the neighbomheodi or the shaft 3. To set the shaft 2| in the correct position, the bar 5 is set in the sleeve |2. The bar 6 is set to follow the direction of the calf of the patients stiff leg. The sleeves 8, 35|, 3|, 32 are also set in such positions that the motion imparted to the sick leg is within the limits of tolerable pain in the joint to be stretched. Buringthe stretching operation the wheel 29 is turnedgtd increase ortdecr'easetheeangk a, so

that said limits are slowly exceeded and the soft -parts of the joints are successively stretched. p 11; is evidentthat. the maximum variation of the angle is during" the oscillating motion of the "bar system maybe set also by adjusting the length :ofithe; double-112x24, 30 and by setting the sleeve 35|at different levels on the bar 35. "In somecases a pendulum may be used in combination with or instead of the fly-wheel l0.

Suclcpeiidulum may be placed on the bar 5 (or on a corresponding bar in other embodiments).

and thentwo setta-blestoppersfar preferably provided to li-mit the pendulum motion-Me the ban The: apparajus as shown is irr the first iiitended parti larly for the mobilization joints But it evident that the apparatus-in accordance this invention rnay be adapted to mobiiice other joints of the body. Jixst as the knee joint is mobilized by means of,the of the l ii p joint embodiment 'shown,; the elbow jointmay be; mobilized by the action of the shoulder joint; etc; In analogous manner the vwrist and foot join-ts may be niobilizedi w A mna c p ara for mobi i i e" one;

comprising; in eombin'ation, a: frame, a stationary h l l said frame, le e o bi me gintermediate' of ends on saidshait, abar a ti ula-tely connected with said! lever; nieans for holding those partsof' the patients' body areon either si de of th'e'joint', snbstant'ialiy alongsfaid lever-and said bar; respectiv'eiy; a device forsetting the angle between said lever, andsafd bar, meansincludinga' polygon of rods for rocliing said bar, when said lever' is rojclred ajrid' a counterweight connected with; safd Ievenf l s. A gymna c appa a us fo mobiliz tom comprising, in combination, a fiam'fi a'shjaft journalled' insaid frame" a lever fi lcrurned said shaft; 2; bararticulately connected with, said lever, means for ho'ldi'ng'tl're; partsoftl e gatient s body on both sides of the damaged joint substantially along said Fever: and said bar, resnectively, a second bar connected witl' said flrstbar and movable together with the same, a'thiifdflbar articulatel connected with said second bar; a stationary bar, and ana-rticirlated; joint between said third bar and said staitibnaii y ar;

4; A gymnastic apparatusfor mobilizing joints, comprising, in combination, a firarnefashatt journa-lled insaid frame, a lever fnlcrmned on said shaft, a first bar articulately connectediwitli said leveissmeams tor: holding the parts on the patients body on both sides of the damaged joint substantially along said lever and said bar, respectively, a second bar, a worm gear between said first and secondbars, a third bar articulately connected with said second bar, a stationary bar, and an articulated joint between said third bar and said stationary bar.

5. A gymnastic apparatus for mobilizing joints, comprising, in combination, a frame, a shaft journalled in said frame, a lever fulcrumed on said shaft, a first bar articulately connected with said lever, means for holding the parts of the patients body on both sides of the damaged joint substantially along said lever and said bar, respectively, a second-bar, a Worm gear between said first and second bars, a carriage for said worm gear settable along said second bar, a third bar articulately connected with said second bar,

a stationar bar, and an articulated joint, be-

tween said third bar and said stationary bar.

6. A gymnastic apparatus for mobilizing joints,

comprising in combination, a frame, a shaft journalled in said frame, a lever fulcrumed on said shaft, a bar articulately connected with said lever, means for holding the parts of the patients body on both sides of the damaged joint substantially along said lever and said bar respectively, a second bar connected with said first bar and movable together with the same, a third bar articulately connected with said second bar, a stationary bar, an articulated joint on said third bar near its end, and a clamp on said third bar between its end and said articulated joint, said clamp being settable to difierent positions on said stationary bar.

GUS'IZAF RICHARD ZANDER. 

